Submitted photo – The Eureka players and alumni after Saturdays’s game.

The Eureka boys got in some valuable game time on the basketball court on Saturday, hosting their annual alumni game.

And despite losing a close game 70-68, varsity head coach Robbie Thompson feels this year’s team has plenty of promise.

They certainly have plenty of senior leadership, led by trio of Jayden Thayer, Miles Meynell and Trevor Bell.

“Those three guys pretty much lead the way,” Thompson said.

Thayer will join the team on Monday, along with  Ethan Pesch, each of whom were competing in cross country until Saturday, while fellow cross country runner Ian Bennett will return to practice in a week after qualifying for the state championships on Saturday.

Overall, Thompson likes the way his senior-laden squad is coming together.

“You can tell they’re mature,” the coach said. “The things I’ve been telling them the past couple of years, they’re starting to get.

“And they’re expecting good things this year. We’ve got a lot of leadership and it’s been refreshing.”

Gary Jimenez has also impressed in practice, while Grant Berrera got the season off to a good start with 17 points against the alumni.

Meynell also had 17 points in the loss, while sophomore Jackson Giacone added 11 points and is expected to play a bigger role this winter after moving up to the varsity late last season.

Mo Purify led the alumni players with a game-high 25 points, while Randy Olson, Marcus Finney and Jevante Achane each scored eight.

Braeden Glavich, a senior last season, also had a good game for the alumni, scoring six on a pair of first-half 3-pointers.

“It went real well,” Thompson said of the game. “We lost but I like a lot of what we’ve done.”

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Ray Hamill writes at humboldtsports.com, where you can read lots more about sports in Humboldt County.